Interactions Between Migrating Birds and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
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OCS Study MMS 2005-009 Coastal Marine Institute Interactions Between Migrating Birds and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Final Report U.S. Department of the Interior Cooperative Agreement Minerals Management Service Coastal Marine Institute Gulf of Mexico OCS Region Louisiana State University OCS Study MMS 2005-009 Coastal Marine Institute Interactions Between Migrating Birds and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico Final Report Editor Robert W. Russell February 2005 Prepared under MMS Contract 1435-01-99-CA-30951-16808 by The Migration Over the Gulf Project School of the Coast and Environment Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 Published by U.S. Department of the Interior Cooperative Agreement Minerals Management Service Coastal Marine Institute Gulf of Mexico OCS Region Louisiana State University DISCLAIMER This report was prepared under contract between the Minerals Management Service (MMS) and Louisiana State University. This report has been technically reviewed by the MMS, and it has been approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the MMS, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. It is, however, exempt from review and compliance with the MMS editorial standards. REPORT AVAILABILITY Extra copies of this report may be obtained from the Public Information Office at the following address: U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region Public Information Office (MS 5034) 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard New Orleans, LA 70123-2394 Telephone: (504) 736-2519 or (800) 200-GULF CITATION Suggested citation: Russell, R.W. 2005. Interactions between migrating birds and offshore oil and gas platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Final Report. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, New Orleans, LA. OCS Study MMS 2005-009. 348 pp. ABOUT THE COVER The cover art depicts a fallout of migrating birds and insects on a platform in the northern Gulf of Mexico and is the work of Brian P. Gibbons, a field biologist from Texas who spent nearly a year living offshore during this study. iii PREFACE This study entitled “Interactions Between Migrating Birds and Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms in the Northern Gulf of Mexico,” also known informally as the “Migration Over the Gulf Project” (MOGP), provides data and analyses of trans-Gulf bird migration from three years of intensive study on 13 platforms located in offshore waters in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The study was sponsored by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) to provide environmental information to the MMS concerning the possible influence of platforms on migrating birds. This volume focuses on broad-scale patterns of migration and presents general findings concerning the ecology of migrants on platforms and the influences of platforms on trans-Gulf migration. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report would not have been possible without the contributions of hundreds of people. First and foremost, thanks are due to the many dedicated field biologists who lived offshore for weeks or months at a time to conduct this study, listed here in descending order of time spent offshore: Rick Knight, Brian Gibbons, Mac Myers, Robert Russell, Jon King, Stacy Peterson, Mike Nelson, Karl Bardon, Alan Wormington, Dave Patton, Jeff Birdsley, Cameron Cox, Marshall Iliff, Brian Sullivan, Brian O’Shea, Dan Christian, John Arvin, Aaron Brees, Rick West, Matthew Holder, Arvind Panjabi, Jim Tietz, Laurence Binford, Paul Dickson, Richard Gibbons, Byron Stone, David Muth, Don Norman, and Dan Purrington. Thanks are also due to Diane Russell for providing logistical support to the project while Robert Russell was offshore. The collective pronouns “we,” “us,” and “our” are used throughout the text to acknowledge the important contributions of time, energy, and insight provided by the entire field team. A study of this magnitude could never have been conducted without the enthusiastic cooperation of the petroleum industry, and we were fortunate to have enjoyed extensive logistical support from British Petroleum, ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Newfield Exploration, and Shell Offshore. These companies provided long-term housing and large quantities of food to our offshore field personnel, as well as regular helicopter transportation to and from shore and administrative support on shore. Hundreds of people involved in many facets of the industry provided assistance with all aspects of the study, but special thanks go to Russell Putt (British Petroleum), Phil Smith (Shell Offshore), and Vince Cottone (ChevronTexaco) for securing access to critical platforms during the expanded phase of the study. Although they are too numerous to name individually, we thank the many crewmen on the platforms where we worked for their interest, support, and camaraderie. Thanks go to Mac Myers for devising the framework for the habitat classification scheme, and to Dave Patton, Mac Myers, and Stacy Peterson for assisting with synoptic weather classification. Dave Patton went well beyond the call of duty and invested a great deal of his own time downloading NEXRAD images for the radar component of the study. Many of the observers contributed photographs from their time offshore, and special thanks go to Dave Patton for contributing a large volume of outstanding material. Brian Gibbons assisted with enumeration and identification of insects in the light trap samples, and Lisa Peri completed the bulk of this laborious work. Victoria M. Bayless kindly made available facilities for storing and analyzing the insect samples at the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum. Alexis Lugo-Fernandez provided a copy of the Yocke et al. (2000) study, and Mark Yocke granted permission to reproduce the diagrammatic weather maps in Figure 5.1. Radar images and weather maps in Chapters 7-9 are included here courtesy of WSI Corporation, TAP Publishing Company, and Unisys Corporation. Special thanks to Brian Gibbons for creating the spectacular artwork that graces the cover of this report. This study was originally housed at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, where much of the administrative groundwork for the study was completed by Donald Norman, who negotiated access to the original platforms used in the study. Special thanks go to Russell Chapman and the staff of the LSU School of the Coast and Environment, who agreed to support the study after facilities at the museum became unavailable. Sidney Gauthreaux wishes to thank Alan Cunningham, Andrew Farnsworth, Steve Lohr, and David Mizrahi, who did most of the radar image quantification under his supervision and assisted in the preparation of the final subcontractor’s report. Sidney Gauthreaux also thanks Villere Reggio, Jr., who was responsible for his involvement in this project, and Carroll Belser, who provided valuable support throughout the project. vii This study was funded by the Minerals Management Service through the Louisiana State University Coastal Marine Institute (CMI) program under contracts 14-35-0001-30660 and 1435-01-99-CA-30951. Many thanks are due to the Minerals Management Service for its exceptional support of the study and for its patience during the delays while this report was being completed. We are grateful to Larry Rouse for his encouragement and support as Director of the LSU CMI. The Contracting Officer’s Technical Representatives (COTRs) for this study were Bob Rogers, Sam Holder, Jeff Childs, and Dave Moran. All of the COTRs provided valuable advice and support. Robert W. Russell viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page FIGURES...................................................................................................................................................xiii TABLES ...................................................................................................................................................xvii Chapter 1 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................1 PART 1 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................7 Chapter 2 Introduction...............................................................................................................................9 2.1 Background and Objectives ........................................................................................................9 2.2 Selection of Study Platforms.....................................................................................................10 2.3 Summary of Field Operations...................................................................................................15 Chapter 3 Field Methods .........................................................................................................................17 3.1 Platform Censuses.....................................................................................................................17 3.2 Flight Censuses .........................................................................................................................17 3.3 Census Schedules......................................................................................................................17 3.4 Opportunistic Work...................................................................................................................19